


Sinful Crimson

by jeongpyung



Category: Vampire Diaries
Genre: Supernatural - Freeform, Teen Romance, teen vampire, vampire, vampire boy, vampire girl, vampire romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-27 09:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20043427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeongpyung/pseuds/jeongpyung
Summary: Alice Payne is a 17 year old girl attends a school on the edge of the blustery ocean cliffs of Maine. Her best friend Birdie suddenly starts dating the small schools attractive new transfer student, leaving Alice out of the loop. His piercing blue eyes leave her knees weak, and his obsession with her makes her confused. His cold skin and aversion to daylight leads her to believe there’s more to him than meets the eye, and she’s determined to uncover all of his secrets.





	Sinful Crimson

My eyes flew open. The gauzy curtains adorning my bedroom window violently flapped as wind gusted through. Inky night loomed outside the comfort of my house, brightened only by the dim, eerie moonlight. The pines huddled together not far from my window, scratching at the now chipping siding of the house. The shutters smacked the outside wall, creating an unpleasant racket at 3:00 AM.  
I sat up tentatively in my bed, as i realized i was soaked in my own sweat. Adrenaline coursed through me, making my head spin, the room in front of me swaying. I gulped fresh mouthfuls of cool night air greedily, as the breeze cooled my damp skin. Rubbing my eyes trying to gather my surroundings, I peeled the sheets away that were clinging to my legs as I tried to recall what I was dreaming about.  
Instantly, my mind recollected the trauma that plagued me in my sleep. I stood on the rickety old dock of my Uncle Jeremy’s bungalow. The water stood stagnant as heat pooled on the surface of my skin. The air was so thick, it felt as though I was being wrapped in a blanket. I was 7, exactly 10 years ago. I remember watching as the willows lazily hung over the water, their tendrils floating, catfish hovering near the floor. The Georgia bayou had always held some special fear, or rather amazement in my mind- I couldn’t tell you which. I had some kind of respect for its primitive nature. To a young girl, the land seemed lawless and dangerous. The gators bellied up to the bank, carefully waiting for their next meal. It was so different from the misty cliffs, shores, and harbors of my coastal hometown in Maine.  
The sun beat down mercilessly, and the smell of gumbo wafted from the torn screen door of the run-down bungalow. I could distantly hear the clattering of pots and pans as my family readied for supper. Pieces of moss and driftwood crept down the slowly moving currents of the river, the contents beneath masked by the murky water. I heard the porch door slam, the hinges squeaking painfully.  
“Alice,” my mother called, “Dinner is ready. Come on in and eat with us.”  
I stared defiantly. I suppose I was in the middle of some petty squabble with her, and although the gumbo smelled delicious, my pride got the better of me. My mother and I had always had a bit of a rocky relationship- I was a high maintenance child, after all. I turned away without addressing her, which earned me an exhausted sigh and a “humph”. The screen door closed.  
My stomach growled, and I looked around for some way to pass the time. My family, as I could hear, was already completely engrossed in the Southern dish. As I did a quick scan of what could possibly bring me some entertainment while my family had forgotten about me, something far below the surface of the muddy depths caught my eye. It sparkled, as if it were calling my name. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a gator sunbathing a couple hundred yards down from the shore. Kicking a docking post I planned to use as my balance, I laid down on my stomach, reaching my skinny arm down in the water. After a foot or two, I could no longer see my fingers. Then my wrist disappeared, and inch by inch, my forearm as well. I slowly edged my upper half off the dock to be able to reach further. Soon, my entire abdomen was hanging off the dock, my only anchor being my foot wrapped around the post. My fingers grasped around blindly, reaching for the shiny thingamabob. My fingertips brushed a smooth object, and I made one final push to reach it. As I did, a splintering crack rang through the air, and then darkness.  
Gunk filled my lungs as a grasped for anything to hold on to. I tried to find the air but failed, desperately choking on the swamp water that surrounded me. When you’re underwater, all your senses are so… muted. I could hear nothing save for the rippling water currents and the sound of my own cries as the life left my body. Something rough scraped against my leg, sending searing pain up my left side. I distantly recalled the alligator on the nearby bank, and wondered what would become of me. It felt like I was swimming in black tar, and my body felt like it was engulfed in flames as my lungs screamed for any ounce of oxygen they could find. My chest constricted as I convulsed and flailed. I stayed in that limbo state of consciousness for what seemed like ages.  
I woke up on the shore. Tiny pebbles and brittle grains of sand stuck to my wet clothes as the black spots in my vision slowly faded. My head pounded, each pump of blood and every breath brought pain, and I wondered how I was still alive. First, I saw the blue sky, the sun, and then the terrified yet relieved faces looming over me. My mother looked like she was screaming, although I couldn’t hear a word she said. In addition to the stinging of my lungs and my intense migraine, a sharp ringing pervaded my ears. Suddenly, I choked up whatever muddy remnants of the bayou that was left in my lungs. I was pretty sure there was some seaweed in there too. Shortly thereafter, an ambulance arrived.  
My close encounter with death stuck with me. I diligently avoided pools, and never made any trips down to Georgia again. Every once in a while, usually while I’m stressed, I’ll have a dream that brings it all back. Each time, it feels as though I’m reliving my greatest fear, and greatest nightmare. I could have sworn the scent of crawfish gumbo lingered in my room.  
I turned my bedroom lamp on, canvassing over my room. I chalked it all up to the anxiety that the SAT’s brought at this time of year. It was April, and final exam preparations had started as well. The papers stacked on my desk had become messily strewn across my cream colored rug, the draft still steadily pouring through my open window. I groaned, remembering that I had to get up in less than three hours. My two best friends, Birdie and Wayne had excitedly told me that fresh meat would be transferring soon. It struck me as odd, seeing as there were only three months left of school. Those two always had the scoop on whatever petty gossip was circulation our school. Given, our school was so small it was hard not to get involved in the drama. Birdie had special access, seeing that she was one of the most popular girls in school. She transferred in third grade, and we hated each other. We always would compete to see who could get the better test score, or who would win dodgeball during gym. I despised her golden blonde hair and her striking light blue eyes. She garnered attention wherever she went, and earned exclamations from all sorts of people over her fair skin and general disposition. My light mousy brown hair and grey eyes had attracted no such attention. Ever. Although, all it took was a science project to convince us that we were more alike than different, and could conquer so much more if our efforts were combined, not divided. We grew attached at the hip, spending days having sleepovers at each other’s houses, sleeping under the heated summer stars eating day old take out pizza. There was no secret we didn’t know about each other. Her flashy and flamboyant personality made her the object of many men’s attention, while my quiet and calculated mindset encouraged her from behind the scenes. “Every princess needs a pauper” she said while grinning. Wayne had known me for my whole life, and I, him. We were neighbors for a short time as toddlers, and played together in the sandbox. As we got older, more and more our friendship was discouraged because of our gender, and it kind of worked. It wasn’t until the summer before freshman year our friendship was rekindled. I had kissed him at the drive-in movie theater after my mom and I had a fight. I was feeling particularly emotionally vulnerable at the time, and had a short yet regretful lapse in judgement. The next week after a few awkward moments of eye contact, I came clean and told him I had no interest in having a romantic relationship. We stayed good friends though, and at times I thought I could see him staring with a twinkle in his eye. Who was I to stamp out a teensy crush? I was ashamed to admit it boosted my ego. Wayne had a classic look to him. His handsome face wasn’t exactly chiseled, but he had a prominent jaw and kind eyes. He had a mop of medium brown hair on his head, with greyish blue eyes to boot. When he smiled wide enough, small dimples formed on his cheeks. Yes, he would make an amiable beau for some nice girl in the future, but that girl wasn’t me.  
I rose from my bed just as a different kind of paranoia struck me. I suddenly felt very vulnerable, as though someone was watching me through my window. With my lamp turned on, someone masked in the twilight could easily peer into my room from the lawn. I hastily wrapped my fuzzy robe around me and shut my banging window panes, quickly drawing the curtains over it as well.  
Whoever was out there will not be getting a peep show tonight, I thought.  
Feeling slightly annoyed, I padded into my bathroom to wash the now dried sticky sweat off my body. As the shower squeaked to life, I peeled off my clothes and stepped under the warm stream of water. I washed my hair and mentally prepared myself for the Monday to come. 

~

After waking up for the second time this morning, I slipped on a pair of stone washed denim jeans and a faded red sweatshirt. Tugging on my white Doc Martins, I walked into my bathroom and peered into my large mirror. I applied some light concealer and a bit of smudged eyeliner and mascara. It took me years to figure out that a raccoon look would make my dull eyes look brighter. I pulled a hairbrush through my shoulder blade length tangles of wavy mousy hair, and delicately arranged my wispy bangs. They were very 90’s esque, due to my childhood fondness of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her fitted tank tops and combat boots largely influenced my retro fashion sense. I rushed down my stairs, slinging my blue backpack over my shoulder, stopping only to grab an apple from my kitchen fruit bowl. My younger sister Prudence sat at the marble kitchen island on one of the bar stools. She was presumably scrolling through pinterest as the remarked distantly, “These polka dots work so well…”  
I took a swig of orange juice before rasping, “We’re going to be late if you don’t hurry.”  
She glanced up from over her phone. “You look like hell. Did you sleep at all last night?” Prudence shared the same grey eyes as me, but her dark brunette hair pulled out the color a bit. We both took after our mother as far as our full lips and rosy cheeks, but our eyes belonged to our dad.  
“Nope.” I murmured. We climbed into my silver SUV I had received for my 17th birthday. Buckling in, I backed out of my driveway and headed towards school. My brick foundation farmhouse slowly disappeared into my rearview mirror. It would be another 10 minutes of driving until we reached our closest neighbor, and another 20 before we reached town. Our car wove through clusters of pines as we intermittently caught glances of the choppy morning waves of the Atlantic. I shivered as the sharp wind rolled off from the coast and whipped into the side of my car. The soft light from the morning sun crested the ocean’s horizon just as we reached town.  
I hadn’t budgeted my time correctly and we had 20 minutes until the first bell rang, so I pulled into the local café, “Steam Beans”.  
“I’m gonna get a tea. You want anything?” I asked.  
“Get me one too. And a banana muffin, thanks.”  
I climbed out and headed inside, already feeling the bite of the Northern winds against my cheeks. The aroma of bitter coffee and the sweetness of the pastries filled my nose as I stepped inside the warm comfort of the shop. Up at the glass counter, an excited blonde was ordering a two coffees and two donuts.  
“Birdie!” I called.  
She whipped around as a grin spread across her face. “Good morning beautiful.” She threw her arm around my shoulder, which probably looked awkward considering I was about 4 inches taller than her. She had a short and curvy frame, which heavily contrasted my tall, slender one. Her knee length beige trench coat crinkled at the shoulder as she leaned into me. “I have a big surprise today, you’ll just about die.” She giggled.  
“Ooh,” I exclaimed, “Tell me.” She wagged her finger at me, as though I were a child in need of scolding.  
“Not yet,” she crooned, “You’ll see at school.” I usually didn’t see her until lunchtime on Mondays, so I groaned in response. Her order was called, she picked up her two steaming drinks and pastry bag and made her way towards the door.  
Wondering who the second coffee was for, I called after her. “Is Wayne with you?”  
She pressed her back against the door and pushed it open. A mischievous grin curled her lips upward, and she winked. The bell chimed as she sashayed towards her car in the parking lot.  
I grabbed my order and left for school, thinking about who could have possibly been with her. Wayne despises coffee so he could be ruled out. Her- er, nightly companions rarely attend the same school as us, and I just can’t picture her giving them a ride in the morning. She wasn’t dating anyone as far as I knew, so who was left. My brows furrowed, feeling confused and a bit out of the loop. Prudence nodded her head in time to the music blasting from her earbuds as she bit into her muffin.  
Rounding the corner, we came up to the ever imposing Saltlake Harbor High School, wrapped in a dark twist of wrought iron fence. The crumbling bricks stacked into the clouds, boasting a clock tower and an old steeple. The school used to be private, although it was apparently abandoned due to lack of funding, although the reason as to why was never officially discovered. About 25 years ago, the old high school burned down, and with a property like this just laying around, the state seized it and remodeled a few buildings, conveniently turning it into the town’s public high school. The church was rarely used, the front doors bolted tightly. I wheeled into the student parking lot, choosing a spot close to the doors. I slung my backpack over my shoulders and headed towards the large double doors that closed after the second bell. I slowed my walking as I heard a commotion behind me. Students chattered, whispering in large groups. Some talked loudly, others hushed and quieted. The sea of kids parted, and over the tops of their heads I caught a glimpse of Birdie’s head, her light hair catching the morning sun. Beside me, I hear a girl whisper “He just transferred.” and another “I wonder where he comes from.” The third stated plainly, “It doesn’t matter where the hell he came from, he’s absolutely gorgeous.”  
As Birdie got closer, the talking stopped and kids backed up in what I can only assume to be wonder. She came into sight, with something very tall and very male on her arm. She saw me amongst the masses of students, all blatantly staring and both her and the attractive guy with her. She scurried over, dragging him along with her. He towered over the both of us, he had to be at least 6’2. His eyes raked over me from top to bottom, which left me feeling shaken. His black glossy hair was long on the top, and obscured some of his face, but what I did see of his expression led me to believe he was amused, along with some other emotion I couldn’t place.  
“Hey,” she squealed, “this is the surprise I told you about.” She bit her lip and gazed up at him in admiration, obviously trying to gain a scrap of his attention. His eyes were trained on me.  
“Good morning.” His voice was thick like honey, deep and powerful. He wore fitted black jeans and a t-shirt for an old rock band I’d never heard of. He had the ghost of a smile on his lips. “How do you do?”  
His language was slightly formal. It threw me off a bit, considering we were all in high school. I figured he came from a wealthy family, where he was raised to speak with a certain poise. His piercing blue eyes held mine steadily, as if he were initiating a challenge. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a dark corner and hide, but I banished all such thoughts immediately.  
This guy screams trouble, I thought. No way I’m letting him get the better of me.  
I extended my hand to him defiantly. I’m pretty sure I was shaking a bit, but he took my hand and shook it firmly. His skin was ice cold.  
“Nice to meet you.”  
I broke eye contact. Damn it.  
This time, he smiled completely. “Charles,” He said. “And you must be the wonderful Alice I’ve been hearing so much about.”  
I gave Birdie a look as if to say, “What else did you tell him?” She gave me a half shrug. Just then, the bell rang, and the swarms of kids that had been huddled around us dispersed completely.  
“I’ll see you at lunch.” I muttered. Birdie waved as she disappeared into the crowd, her new man in tow behind her. I was left on the school steps, feeling pale and worried. I didn’t trust him, and I’ll be damned if Birdie gets hurt because of him. 

——

My morning classes dragged by slowly. I sat bouncing my leg listening to whatever teacher was present drone on about World War II or solving parabolic equations. My mind was focused on the mysterious transfer student that was apparently dating my best friend. His presence somehow felt… familiar. I could still feel his eyes boring into me. It felt like he was undressing me in his mind- not in a dirty way, but rather that he stripped me to only my most fundamental parts. He could see me, every good and bad part. It was indescribable, and it made me feel defenseless. I shuddered, dreading the upcoming lunch hour I would have to spend watching the two of them fawn over each other. 

The bell rang, and hauled myself out of my seat. The knot in the pit of my stomach was palpable. 

“Alice. Stay behind for a minute.”

I turned and saw Alex Marlowe lounging in his swivel chair. He was our U.S. History teacher, although he was young enough to be in college. I had known him as a child, he was only 4 years older than me. It took a bit of restraint not to call him “Alex” and switch to the more formal “Mr. Marlowe”. The Marlowes were a historically founding family. His roots had old money, and his ancient relatives were some of the first to break civilization on the Saltlake Harbor cliffs. He also had certain connections that scored him a teaching job straight out of college. 

“Sure.” I flashed the kind of cardboard smile you give adults when you want to come across as polite. “What can I do for you Mr. Marlowe?” He had wavy black hair and sparkling green eyes. His build was tall and lean, with broad shoulders. I couldn’t help but gaze as his muscular thighs flexed while he adjusted himself in the seat. 

He smiled warmly, his eyes conveying an affection I can only assume came from our history as good friends. “You know you can always call me Alex,” he mused, “outside of class, that is.” He rubbed his hand across the stubble on his jaw, eyeing me wearily. 

I leaned forward. “Did you need me for something?” Creating that friendly atmosphere in a teacher student relationship made me slightly uneasy, especially when he didn’t seem too worried about it. There was no bad blood between us, just an occasional sporty conversation.

He smiled, his emerald eyes crinkling at the edges. “Nothing too serious. You seemed a bit distant today and I wanted to make sure you’re paying attention. Getting the most out of this class, and all that.”  
“One bad class hardly seems enough cause for you to keep me behind after class.”

He stilled. “Am I keeping you from something, Ms. Payne?” Similarly to Birdie, he was accustomed to attention and easy conversation. He seemed irritated that I wasn’t making myself as accessible as he wanted. 

I rose from my chair. “Yes, actually.” Leaning against the doorframe on my way out, I turned. “And please, call me Alice. Outside of class, that is.” I sashayed out into the empty hall, towards the humming cafeteria. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him grinning to himself. Our sarcastic banter was harmless, although rare. I allowed myself to smile a bit as well. We had a mutual understanding that it would never amount to anything, and we were both happy with that. 

Reaching the cafeteria, I could already hear the gossipy murmurs circulation the clusters of students at their respective tables, and I didn’t bother to do a quick scan for Birdie and Charles. Some shot curious looks at me, others continued gesturing in animated conversation. It was no secret Birdie and I were best friends, and I chalked their curious looks up to the fact that they simply wanted to know more. I took a deep breath, acknowledging that I knew no more than them. It made me feel like an outsider. 

I weaved through the lunch tables, following the smell of artificial cheese wafting from the front of the room. Mac N Cheese Mondays. Gross. 

I caught sight of Wayne at the end of the rather long line, and at the same moment, he saw me, smiled, and waved me over. 

“Hey.” 

“Hey.” We both stood awkwardly, waiting for the other to bring up the elephant in the room. I couldn’t deal with the silence, so I spoke first. 

“It’s so strange. Birdie doesn’t do the whole boyfriend scene, let alone some transfer student she’s known for less than a weekend.”

He shot me a knowing look. “Last time we saw her Friday night, none of us knew this guy even existed.” He scoffed, unceremoniously plopping a gloop of mac n cheese onto his styrofoam lunch tray. 

I grabbed a banana and some yogurt, unable to force the rubbery looking noodles down my throat. We paid, and stood at the front of the room, looking for our table. The cafeteria was huge, and to an outsider, probably looked like something out of Hogwarts. The private school before us had done a good job. The cathedral ceilings arched far above my head, with glass, golden tipped chandeliers hanging from the highest points of the arches. The room was filled with a candlelit glow, and the acoustics of the airy space provided a buzzing atmosphere that never seemed to fade, no matter where you were in the room. The walls were all gold carvings and tall windows, cream colored marble pillars and angelic murals. Upon my first day here, I had wondered what the actual church looked like. 

Wayne and I spotted Birdie at the same time, and we dodged excited kids and backpacks strewn across the floor. She was alone, thankfully. Wayne took the seat to her left, but as I was going for the seat to her right, she stopped me. 

“That seat belongs to Charles.” 

I scowled. “Jeez, okay.” I muttered. I elected to sit next to Wayne as to avoid sitting next to her new boy toy. 

I opted to use this precious time alone with Birdie to question her. “So who is this guy?” I asked. “Why didn’t we know about this until today? Where did he move from? Why did he move in the first place?” I went in and took no prisoners. 

She tipped her head back and laughed. “None of that stuff matters,” she said in between giggles, “His name is Charles Ainsworth and he’s perfect.” She slowly emphasized the word “perfect”. She abruptly turned sour, irritated even. “And, if you can’t deal with our relationship then that’s your problem, not mine.”

I leaned back, aghast. I had never seen her switch moods so quickly. I didn’t like what was happening. He was turning her into someone I didn’t recognize. I decided not to push her any further for fear of making her angrier. 

I took a bite of my banana. “Can you at least tell me why he isn’t sitting with us?”

She glanced at the doors. “He went to the bathroom. Should be back any minute.”

After a moment of silence, Wayne spoke up. “So where’d you guys meet?”

“At some frat party on campus.” She smiled dreamily. “It was like there was no one else in the room. Just me and him. We couldn’t help but start talking, and one thing led to another and…” She trailed off. I couldn’t help but notice she looked a little drugged. 

“Did you sleep with him?” I asked bluntly. I immediately regretted the words as soon as they left my lips. She often gets flack for her tendency to bring guys home. Not that it ever bothered her, but I knew she expected me to be the last person she’d get it from. 

A flicker of hurt passed behind her eyes. “None of your business.” We all chewed quietly. Nice going, Alice. 

A few minutes passed as Wayne and I started talking plans for the upcoming weekend. We started getting into a heated discussion of whether movies or rollerblading would be the best. He flung a piece of macaroni at me, and it promptly landed on my cheek. I laughed loudly, he was so immature it was almost comical. Almost. I took a spoonful of yogurt and bent it backwards, slingshotting it so it landed all over his neck. He pursed his lips while I tried to stifle a laugh, finally deciding to take a glob of the yogurt I just flung at him and smear it on my face. We both had a goodhearted laugh and he picked up a napkin. As he cleaned the food off my face, his hand lingered, and he brushed his thumb across my cheekbone. 

“There.” He murmured huskily. Our eyes locked and I started to feel really uncomfortable. 

“What have I missed?” I heard his deep voice come from behind, rolling over me like a wave. I flinched. He slid into the seat next to Birdie, all the while looking from me to Wayne and shooting me death stares. The tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Birdie didn’t seem to notice one bit, probably because she already draped herself over him, babbling over about our rollerblading slash movie dilemma. He never broke his gaze with me. 

My cheeks flushed, I felt like shriveling under the harsh glare directed towards me. 

“Dude, what the hell is your problem?” Oh no. Wayne seemed to be picking up on it too. 

Charles looked at Wayne like it was the first time he was actually noticing him. “No problems on my end. But it seems as though the young lady doesn’t care much for your affections.”

Young lady? You’ve got to be kidding me. 

Wayne looked incredulous. “As if you know what you’re talking about.” He scoffed, standing up from his seat. “You’ve been here for less than half a day. Know your place.” He spat. It was on rare occasion that Wayne got worked up, and it bothered me to see him lose his usual mellow composure. 

“Wayne, it’s fine,” I coaxed, “He didn’t mean it. Just sit back down, and give him a chance.” 

He ignored me. Charles also rose from his seat. Birdie looked confused, like she didn’t have a clue in the world what was going on. “Why are we fighting…” She trailed off again, like something was clouding her mind. Her usual sharp quips were lost on her, which scared me. But I’d have to take care of that later. 

“I’m not the kind of person you want to mess with, kid.” Charles didn’t seem to be concerned with the quivering tomato-faced Wayne standing in front of him. In fact, he seemed relaxed. Happy, even. His condescending usage of the work “kid” turned Wayne’s face the color of a firetruck. I looked back and forth between them, knowing that someone was going to walk out of this with a black eye. People sitting at the adjoining tables started looking over in excitement, sensing that a fight was taking place. I needed to do something, anything. 

I decided Wayne was far too distressed to move away from this so I hastily grabbed Charles’ sleeve and hauled him out of the cafeteria behind me. I heard distant cries of protest behind us, but I walked steadily until we reached the eastern edge of the property. The school itself was built on the edge of a blustery cliff overlooking the ocean. The jagged edge of the drop was terrifying, and I suddenly regretted bringing him to a place I could be so easily intimidated. The smell of salt water filled my nostrils, with the icy April wind whipping my hair. 

I let go of his sleeve and turned to face him. It dawned upon me that he wouldn’t have let me drag him this far without wanting to actually hear what I have to say, so I prepared myself. I considered for a moment really giving it to him, but I recalled Birdie’s reaction to my distaste. I wasn’t quite yet ready to hurt her. I walked to a bench facing the Atlantic, far enough away from the edge where I would feel comfortable. I sat down, politely gesturing for him to sit next to me. 

He threw his head back and laughed, and sat close next to me. His laugh was the kind that rumbled through my chest, it was a beautiful sound. I got the feeling I wouldn’t hear it very often, and I flushed a little in embarrassment.

“You know, I truly thought you would scream a little at me. Your restraint is impressive.” He smirked. “It’s obvious you have something to say to me. So,” he gestured, “Go ahead.” 

I sighed. “What are you doing here?”

He looked at me curiously. “Whatever in the world is that supposed to mean, Alice?”

I rewarded him with a dubious glare. “Why did you transfer? What are you doing with Birdie?” He sat back on the bench, it creaked with his massive weight. His muscular frame relaxed, and I noted that he definitely worked out. Definitely. 

He drew in a quick breath, studying something on the horizon. I looked, but there was nothing there. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you the truth.” 

“That’s not a good enough answer.” I retorted. “Can you at least tell me where you came from?” 

In the blink of an eye he was inches from my face. I should have backed away, stood up, or ran. But I didn’t. I could see the subtle green flecks in his ocean blue eyes, his hot breath on my cheek made me shift. 

“I don’t want to lie to you, Alice.” My name rolled off his tongue crisply, and I loved every second of it. Somehow, I believed him.

“Then don’t.” I whispered. 

This moment was too intimate and I didn’t understand. Not 5 minutes ago, he was brutally scrutinizing me, but now, his eyes were warm and compassionate, drawing me in closer. I felt that same vulnerability as the first time we met, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he felt it too. I bit my lip in concentration, trying not to reveal any of my thoughts. How embarrassing. 

“Don’t do that.” he murmured. 

“What?” I pulled back. The spell was broken, and the connection was gone. He stood from the bench, shoving his hands in his pockets. For some reason, his absence from my side left me feeling cold. I’ve known him for a day, what is wrong with me? 

As if sensing my discomfort, he turned to me, his shirt rippling across his broad chest in the wind. “You’ll see me soon.”


End file.
